Monsoon Friendly Wildlife Reserves In India To Witness Nature In Its Full Bloom

The monsoon season in India is a great time to experience the charm of wildlife reserves in India, because the wetter the better!

While most wildlife sanctuaries in India stay closed during the monsoon as the mud trails become slushy, there are some that remain open so you can still witness the wild amidst the greenery refreshed by bouts of rain.

Here are five such amazing wildlife sanctuaries that you can visit in this monsoon season:

If tiger spotting is your only agenda behind visiting wildlife reserves, then I suggest you go to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, in Maharastra. Located in the Chandrapur district, the bamboo and teak dominated forest is drenched in 50 shades of green during the monsoon.

Credits: Wildnest Travel & Photography

The seldom-visited Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, remains open throughout the year, and is home to tigers, spotted deer, langurs, wild boars, Indian leopards, sloth bears and chital. You can also spot some unique creatures such as pangolins, ratels, chevrotains and leopard cats here.

Credits: Wildnest Travel & Photography

Remember to book your safaris through the government website in advance as a limited number of vehicles are allowed inside the park at a given time. Also, the park is closed to visitors on Tuesdays.

Located around 22 km from Srinagar, the Dachigam National Park is home to a magnificent array of flora and fauna. The park’s terrain gently shifts from sloping grasslands to sharp rocky outcrops, and due to this variation, the park is demarcated into upper and lower Dachigam.

Credits: Mike Prince

While leopards are lower Dachigam’s apex predator, they are replaced by snow leopards in upper Dachigam. The park also harbours the last viable population of the endangered Hangul or Kashmir Stag.

Situated right in the heart of the Pandalam Hills and Cardamom Hills of Southern Western Ghats, the Periyar National Park is a massive tiger reserve also known for a remarkably high and well-protected population of wild elephants.

Credits: Wikimedia

Apart from tigers and elephants, other animals that can be spotted here includes gaur, sambar, wild pigs, mouse deer, barking deer, the Nilgiri langur, and bonnet macaque. Periyar also happens to be the home of the elusive Nilgiri tahr.

Credits: Wikimedia

Getting there: Madurai Airport at a distance of 140km is the nearest airport to the protected forests.

The Agumbe Reserve Forest transforms into a paradise during the monsoon. The dense, lush, and verdant surroundings of Agumbe Reserve Forest provide the Malabar pit viper the perfect habitat and it can be commonly sighted in the monsoon resting on rocks or trees.

Malabar pit viper | Credits: Yogendra Joshi

At Agumbe, bird and mammal life is abundant, but it's the mind-boggling diversity of reptiles, insects and amphibians that will make your eyes pop. From the blue-eyed bush frogs to the golden-backed ants, this rainforest is home to species in every hue.

Blue-eyed bush frogs | Credits: Wikimedia

Getting there: Mangaluru Airport is the nearest airport and from there, Agumbe Reserve Forest is about 106km away.

Cradled within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, the Valley of Flowers is best known for its meadows of alpine flowers. A 14 km-hike from Govindghat takes you to the settlement of Ghangaria, from where another 3km trail takes you to the valley.

Credits: Indiahikes

There are about 300 different species of endemic alpine flowers, including few rare ones such as geranium, potentilla, anemone, and the blue Himalayan poppy. It is believed that one week the flowers are red, and the next, they’re pink and later, yellow and so on.

Getting there: The closest airport to reach the Valley of Flowers is Jolly Grant Airport (Dehradun), which is 319km away. From the airport, there are cabs and private taxis available till Joshimath, from where you'll have to trek till the park.

Entrance fee per head for first three days: Indian: ₹150 | Foreigner: ₹600